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CELEBRATION 



TWO-HUJSTDKEDTH ANNIVERSARY 



INCORPORATION OF MIDDLEBOROUGH, 

MASSACHUSETTS, 
OCTOBER 13, 1869. 

INCLUDING THE 

ORATION OF HON. THOMAS RUSSELL, ADDRESS BY HIS HONOR, 

MAYOR SHURTLEFF, OF BOSTON, AND THE OTHER 

EXERCISES OF THE OCCASION. 

WITH AN APPENDIX. 



Published by request of the Committee of Arrangements. 




Gazette Office, Middi.euokouoh. 
1870. 



^^^^^SSSSSESS^^SBSESBSSBSSSS^K 




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1 Mv.uv; ~Jjt__C 

"THE OLD MORTON HOUSE. 



CELEBRATION 

OF THE 

TWO-HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY 

OF THE 

INCORPORATION OF MIDDLEBOROUGH, 

MASSACHUSETTS, 
OCTOBER 13, 1869. 

INCLUDING THE 

ORATION OF HON. THOMAS RUSSELL, ADDRESS BY HIS HONOR, 

MAYOR SHURTLEFF, OF BOSTON, AND THE OTHER 

EXERCISES OF THE OCCASION. 

WITH AN APPENDIX. 



Published by request of the Committee of Arrangements. 



Gazette Office, Middlebokough. 

1870. 



D,m. 



At a meeting of the Committee of Arrangements held this day, 
it was 

Voted, That the thanks of the Committee be presented to Hon. Thomas 
Russell for his eloquent oration delivered on the Two Hundredth Anni- 
versary of the incorporation of the town of Middlehorough, and that he 
be respectfully requested to furnish us a copy for publication. 

GEORGE SOULE, Chairman. 

S. H. Sylvester, Secretary. 

Oct. 19, 1869. 

A committee, consisting of William H. Wood, Joseph E. Beals 
and James M. Coombs, was chosen to communicate the above and 
superintend the publication of the oration. 



JUDGE RUSSELL'S REPLY. 

Boston, Dec. 21, 1869. 
Dear. Judge, — I have written from memory a poor sketch of my ad- 
dress at Middleborough. It contains a few sentences which I have spoken 
elsewhere, but which were needed to complete my views on the subject 
discussed. I congratulate you on the great success of your celebration, 
and am, with great respect. 

Yours truly, 

THOMAS RUSSELL. 
Hon. War. H. Wood. 



\ 



INTRODUCTORY. 



OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES. 

At a meeting of the citizens of Middleborough held, in pursu- 
ance of a public call, at Soule's Hall, on the 10th of September,' 
and continued by adjournment to the 17th, it was determined to 
have a celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of the incor- 
poration of the town, by a procession, oration and dinner ; and the 
following named gentlemen were chosen a Committee of Arrange- 
ments. 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 



CHAIRMAN. 

GE'OEGE soule. 



Jamss H. Harlow, 
Henry H. Shaw, 
George H. Doane, 
Calvin D. Kingman, 
A. B. Sanford, 
Dr. E. W. Drake, 
James E. Peirce, 
Ivory H. Harlow, 
W. L. Brown, 

C B. Wood, Treasurer. S. H. Sylvester, Secretary. 



John B. Le Baron, 
Andrew L. Tinkham, 
Martin P. Standish, 
L. D. Munroe, 
James M. Coombs, 
B. P. Tripp, 
James Cole, Jr., 
George Brayton. 



At a town meeting held September 6th, 1869, the town voted to 
choose a committee to cooperate with the committee of the citizens 
in the proposed celebration, and chose as that committee the select- 
men, viz. : 

Joseph T. Wood, Thomas Smith, Lewis Leonard. 

Also the town clerk, C. B. Wood, 
Z. Pratt, Stillman Benson, George M. Leach. 

The town also voted at the same meeting to extend an invitation 
to the town of Lakeville to join in the celebration. 

The committee, and especially their chairman, are entitled to 
much credit for the zeal and energy with which they immediately 



6 



entered on their labor, perfecting their plans, raising money by vol- 
untary subscriptions, and carrying forward their work to a success- 
ful issue. 

Wednesday, the 13th of October, was fixed as the day for the 
celebration. Hon. Thomas Russell, of Boston, was invited to give 
the oration, and accepted the invitation. Gov. Claflin, his council 
and staff, and other state officials, Mayor Shurtleff, of Boston, and 
others, to the number of about three hundred, were especially in- 
vited to be present, very many of whom at once accepted the invi- 
tation. A circular was also issued by the chairman of the execu- 
tive committee, calling upon all the sons and daughters of old Mid- 
dleborough, wherever they might be, to return once more to the 
old homestead, and join in the festivities of the day. The commit- 
tee appointed 

WILLIAM II. WOOD, President of the day. 
Rev. S. G. DODD, of the C. C. Society, Chaplain. 
CALVIN D. KINGMAN, Esq., Toast Master. 
Capt. GEORGE H. SHAW, Chief Marshal. 

The Marshal selected for his aids 

Josuua Sherman, George W. Rich, 

Hexry H. Shaw, A. B. Sanford, 

Charles H. Tobey. Louis K. Harlow. 

II. W. Durfee. 

Yale's - mammoth tent, 205 feet by 85, was engaged, and was 
located on the vacant lot of Philander Washburn & Brother, on 
the corner of Centre and Pearl streets. This was divided by a 
canvas partition, one part of which was devoted to the public ex- 
ercises of the day, and in the other the dining tables were spread. 

Arrangements were made with Thomas Cook, of Boston, to pro- 
vide a dinner for one thousand persons, and Mr. Cook performed 
his contract in a manner very satisfactory to the committee and 
their guests. 

On Tuesday, people from abroad began to gather in town, and 
on Tuesday evening, the weather being very beautiful, our central 
village presented a very gay and animated appearance. Col. Beals 
& Son, the decorators, of Boston, had been in town some days, 
and many public and private buildings bore evidence of their taste 
and skill. The North Bridgewater Band, stationed near the Post 
Office, attracted crowds of people by its fine music. The hotel 



was full, and many private houses, of those who had come from 
abroad to engage in this home gathering. 

The morning of Wednesday opened with dark clouds rolling up 
from the east, with flashes of lightning, and all the portents of a 
stormy day ; but although the rain was falling copiously around us, 
only occasional slight showers visited us until afternoon, and the 
programme for the day was fully and successfully carried out. The 
exercises commenced with the firing of guns and the ringing of 
bells, and soon the military and civic organizations from other 
towns began to arrive. The Nemasket House, P. E. Penniman, 
Proprietor, had been designated as the place for receiving our 
invited guests, which on the arrival of the cars, bringing the orator 
of the day, His Honor Mayor Shurtleff, and others, was filled to 
overflowing. 



THE PBOCESSION. 



The procession was formed at the firing of the gun, on School 
and Peirce streets, its right resting on Centre street. It moved 
promptly at 10| o'clock, in the following order, after receiving the 
distinguished guests of the day. 

ORDER OF PROCESSION. 

State Police. 

Chief Marshal. 

Aid. Aid. 

Middleborcmgh Cornet Band, C. M. Vaughn, Drum Major. 

Company L, Carver, Capt. Griffith. 

Company M, Plymouth, Capt. Drew. 

President of the clay. 

Orator and Chaplain. 

Invited Guests. 

II DIVISION. 

Marshal. 

Aid. Aid. 

Joppa Baud. 

Company A, Halifax, Capt; Bonney. 

Post No. 13, G. A. R., G. W. Leach, Commander. 

Post 8, G. A. R., L. D. Monroe. Commander. 



Ill DIVISION. 

Marshal. 

Aid. Aid. 

New Bedford Brass Band. 

Sutton Encampment, A. H. W. Carpenter, Commander. 

Mayflower Lodge. A. B. Bosworth, W. M. 

Miles Standish Company, A. J. Pickens, Captain. 



IV DIVISION. 

Marshal. 

Aid. Aid. 

North Bridgewater Baud. 

Bay State Engine Co., J. H. Weston, Captain. 

Indian Company, B. L. Boomer, Chiif. 

Schools of Ancient and Modern Times. 

Aptiques. 

Cavalcade of Ladies. 

Cavalcade of Gentlemen. 

Town Officers of Middleborough. 

Town Officers of Lakeville. 

Citizens in Carriages. 

The procession moved down Main street to the Star Mills, through 
Montello to North street, from North to School, from School to 
Peirce, to Pearl, to Centre, to Oak, to Courtland, to Main street, 
thence around the Morton House to Main, thence to Centre street, 
to the tent, where the dinner was spread and the oration was de- 
livered. The route of the procession was about four miles in length. 

The committee desire especially to acknowledge their obligation 
to B. M. C. Durfee, Esq., of Fall River, for his splendid four-in- 
hand English carriage, footman and driver, which he so generously 
tendered for the occasion. This carriage contained the Orator, 
President, and Chaplain of the day, and Mayor Shurtleff, of Boston. 
Other invited guests followed in carriages. Many of the carriages 
were voluntarily furnished by citizens of the town. The military 
escort was 120 strong. 

The Knights Templar, of New Bedford, Sutton Encampment, in 
full regalia, attracted much attention. 

In the Miles Standish company, E. B. Thompson, of Halifax, 
carried the old gun with which the Indian was shot in King Philip's 
war. His ancestor of the sixth generation, Lieut. John Thompson, 
commanded the fort which contained sixteen men and their families, 
and the gun belonged to him. The piece has a barrel six feet and 
one inch long, with a curious looking but, and has been fired within 
a year. The distance at which it shot the Indian was 155 rods, or 
nearly half a mile, — a chance shot, probably. 

The captain of the Miles Standish company, A. J. Pickens, was 
attired in a costume like that of the renowned Standish, and car- 
ried a sword and pistol that belonged to Lieut. John Thompson of 



10 



old. Two ancient halberds were carried by J. D. Drew- and J. Z. 
T. Thompson, of Halifax. 

The Indian company under Mr. Boomer as chief was a marked 
feature of the procession, their color, costume and attitudes being 
such, that King Philip himself might have mistaken them for one 
of his own warlike bands. 

That part of the procession put down in the programme as the 
antiques, excited much interest. Here was the school of olden 
time, twenty children in ancient costume, with the pedagogue flour- 
ishing his cudgel, in a wagon drawn by oxen ; and close by, two 
wagons drawn by horses, containing about twenty pupils each, 
representing the improved school of modern times ; one with Miss 
Mary L. Tinkham as teacher of the primary department, the other 
with Miss Harriet C. Barden as teacher of the higher department. 
Here also was the ancient and indestructible " one-horse shay," — the 
old doctor on horseback, with saddle-bags, — two couples on horse- 
back, the ladies behind on pillions, — a cavalcade of ladies, etc., etc . 
The costumes were very ancient ; some were more than two 
hundred years, old. 

The procession, which was about half a mile long, was received 
with much enthusiasm throughout its entire route, manifested by 
the crowds of people, men, women and children, lining the streets, 
the display of flags and other decorations, the waving of handker- 
chiefs from windows and balconies, and other manifestations of 
delight. 



DECORATIONS. 



The Nemasket House, P. E. Penniinan proprietor, the point from 
which the procession started, was gaily trimmed with tricolors on 
the large pillars in front and purple hangings on the balcony, and 
the motto, " 1669. Welcome to Middleborough. 1869." 

Flags were suspended across the street to the large edifice occu- 
pied by Leonard & Barrow's, shoe manufacturers, and by the stores 
of C. H. Carpenter and A. G. Alden. On the front of this edifice 
were the inscriptions : " The Day we Celebrate." " Justice." 

Further on, the residence of Major Tucker and Prof. J. W. P. 
Jenks was arrayed in bunting, etc., and the store, owned and occu- 
pied b} r Peirce Brothers, was well decorated, and bore the motto, 
" Let Brotherly Love Continue." The commanding residence of 
the brothers, Messrs. Job C, Thomas S. and William Peirce, oppo- 
site, was also decorated. 

The house of Henry H. Shaw, of Shaw & Co.'s Express, was 
handsomely decorated. Also the house of Richard B. Holmes. 

At this point, at some distance on the right, flags were seen flying 
on the site of the old garrison house, and on Tispaquin rock. 
(These points are referred to in Judge Russell's oration.) 

Near here, too, is the old Barrows house, the homestead of the 
Barrows family, now occupied by Miss Lois Barrows. On one end 
of the building the clapboards have been taken off, and a hole about 
six inches square appears. The walls of the building are planked 
with two live-oak boards, each an inch thick. This house has been 
supposed to be so built with port-holes for defence in the Indian 
war. 

The residence of George Bray ton was richly decorated with flags. 
Many houses in the vicinity of the Star Mills were decorated. The 
dwelling-house of Mr. Toole, on North street, bore the green flag 
of Erin and the stars and stripes. The house of W. H. Vaughan 
attracted marked attention, some four cartloads of yellow pump- 
kins adorning his piazzas. On School street, the school-house bore 



12 



the motto, " Our Common Schools the Basis of New England In- 
stitutions." The house of Bay State Engine Co., and headquarters 
of the Middleborough Cornet Band, was elegantly decorated. 

On Pearl street, the houses of S. H. Sylvester, George W. Tay- 
lor, Peter Washburn, J. H. Case, A. G. Alden, and Samuel Will- 
iams, were very appropriately decorated. 

Probably the most elaborate exhibition of the day was gotten up 
at the house of Mrs. Jane King, on Oak street. On one side of 
the piazza was represented an ancient family. First sat Mrs. Stro- 
bridge, 78 years old, spinning flax on an old flax-wheel, the prop- 
erty of a very old lady of this town, Mrs. Thomas. Next her was 
a small round table, such as was commonly used in families in those 
times, on which was displayed several pewter plates, part of a very 
ancient set of china, tea-caddy, and a small earthen-ware tea-pot, 
just large enough to hold one cup of tea. This tea-pot was brought 
from England by an ancestor of Mrs. King, a Mr. Peckham, one 
of the first settlers of Newport, K. I., and is over two hundred 
years old. Next this table sat Mrs. King, 79 years old, carding 
wool into rolls for spinning, on hand cards more than a century old. 
Next beyond her was a very ancient light stand, on which was a 
large volume of Flavel's Sermons, and a Dictionary, the author 
unknown, as the title page is gone ; but both books must be at least 
a hundred and fifty years old. Next sat Miss E. P. King, dressed 
in the costume of nearly two centuries ago, weaving tape by hand, 
as was then customary in all families. Last, running around, was 
a little grandchild of Mrs. King, three years old, dressed in a child's 
dress made in England as much as one hundred years ago, of a 
kind of cloth called rattinet; over her neck was pinned a linen 
handkerchief, chec led blue and white, made of flax spun and woven 
by some of the Ki ig ancestry. The other side of the piazza rep- 
resented a modern sitting-room, where, in a large nice rocking-chair, 
sat Miss S. A. King by the side of a marble-topped table, at work 
on a piece of worsted embroidery, and at the same time entertain- 
ing several lady callers. Over the ancient side was placed the 
name of the Governor of Plymouth Colony, " Prence, 1669." Over 
the modern side was the name of the present Governor of Massa- 
chusetts, " Claflin, 1869." 

The house of George Soule, Chairman of the Committee of Ar- 
rangements, on Oak street, was tastefully decorated with flags and 



13 



streamers, with the dates " 1669, 1869." The house of Joseph E. 
Beals was decorated with flags. 

On Courtland street are the Bay State Straw Works of Albert 
Alden, upon which a lavish hand had been laid. " Loyalty and 
Industry " were the mottoes. Mr. Alden's house, on Main street, 
was also decorated, and James Peirce's, W. Bourne Wood's, I. H. 
Harlow's, J. T. Wood's, J. M. Pickens', and the old Morton House 
was designated by a flag and motto. The house of W. S. An- 
drews was tastefully decorated, with the inscription, " They sowed 
and we reap," — also the houses of Sidney Tucker, Foster Harlow, 
James II. Harlow, A. B. Sanford. Across the street here were 
thrown several flags and streamers. 

The building occupied by George Soule, furniture dealer, with 
a hall overhead occupied by the Sons of Temperance and the 
St. Crispins, among its decorations bore the inscriptions, "Love, 
Purity, Fidelity," " K. O. S. C. 191." Masonic Hall adjoin- 
ing, in which are Judge W. H. Wood's law office, G. H. Doane's 
hardware and cutlery store, and J. B. & J. Shaw, apothecaries and 
fancy goods dealers, was elegantly trimmed with purple velvet 
hangings and tricolors, and bore the words, " Hope, Faith, and 
Charity," and the insignia of Freemasonry. 

American Hall Building, occupied by the millinery rooms of S. 
F. Barrows, by George Waterman, grocer, and by Dr. Leach, 
d. d. s.j was finely trimmed, with the words, " Middleborough, 1669. 
Bi-Centennial." 

M. Toole's store, and Bennett & Thompson's grocery, corner of 
Main and Water streets, were decorated. 

On Centre street, the building which contains the headquarters 
of Post 8, G. A. R., up stairs, and the store of A. H. W. Carpenter, 
merchant tailor, was handsomely decorated, and flags were sus- 
pended over the street to the decorated edifice occupied by the store 
of B. F. Tripp, and by A. L. Tinkham, the postmaster of Middle- 
borough. 

S. H. Sylvester, the hair-dresser, Secretary of the Committee, 
had his saloon finely decorated, and upon the front was the inscrip- 
tion, "Patient in labor, submissive to law, regardful of right, faith- 
ful to liberty." 

The spacious residence of George Waterman, opposite the high 
school, was neatly decorated. 



HON. W. H. WOOD'S ADDRESS. 



The procession reached the tent soon after twelve o'clock, and 
after the large audience had become seated, and music by one of 
the bands, the President of the day delivered his address of wel- 
come. 

Fellow Citizens : 

Ladies and Gentlemen, — Assembled as we are to celebrate the 
two hundredth anniversary of our existence as a town, in the name 
and in behalf of the town Of Middleborough I extend to you all a cor- 
dial welcome to the festivities of the occasion. To our fellow-citi- 
zens, ladies and gentlemen, who have left their accustomed avoca- 
tions to come up to this gathering, we give a welcome. To the sons 
and daughters of Middleborough, who, having gone out from us in 
other years, to-day return to join us in this family gathering, to re- 
visit the scenes of their earlier days, we extend our hand in con- 
gratulation and fraternal regard. We trust that as you have again 
visited these old familiar streets, which bring up visions of the 
past, that though 3 r our thoughts will be tinged with sadness as you 
notice the changes which time has wrought, as memory brings up 
" the distant and the dead," yet you rejoice with us to-day at the 
manifest signs of prosperity which still attend our native town. 
And to those who, not natives or descendants of Middleborough, 
have come to aid us by their presence and sympathy, we give a cor- 
dial welcome. Particularly do we gratefully acknowledge our obli- 
gations to those military and civic organizations who by their 
presence are contributing so much to the pleasures of the day. 

Our thoughts today revert to the past. In imagination we roll 
back the centuries, and stand here at Nemasket as it existed two 
hundred years ago. Indeed, we get a slight glimpse of this town 
two hundred and fifty years ago, before even the Mayflower had 
cast anchor in yonder bay, when upon that afternoon in spring, or 
early summer, Captain Dermer and his guide Squanto entered this 



L5 



Indian settlement. With the exception of the French captive 
whom they found here, his was the first white man's foot which ever 
trod this soil. Here was the Indians' home. Here in the simplicity 
of forest life, they had lived and died for centuries. Here the great 
Massasoit, the early and constant friend of the pilgrims, was accus- 
tomed to resort in Summer, and here appear to have been the royal 
hunting and fishing grounds. Since that day how great the change. 
Our little lakes were glittering in the sunlight then as now ; our Ne- 
masket, through pathless deserts, was flowing on towards the sea. 
The same skies were overhead, but all else how changed ! 

Who have wrought these changes ? It is very little that our own 
hands have wrought. Our fathers labored, and we have entered 
into their labors. They opened up the forests, they cleared and 
cultivated these fields, they planted the church, the school-house, 
our free institutions. The immediate descendants of the pilgrims ; 
theirs were the stern, heroic virtues which enabled them to re- 
move all obstacles however formidable, and to lay the foundations 
of towns and states. They sowed in darkness and in tears, we 
reap in light and joy. Theirs was a faith that could remove moun- 
tains, because it led to heroic action. 

It is well, then, on stated occasions, to commemorate the virtues 
of our fathers ; their heroic, ruanly courage, their persistent adher- 
ence to truth, following wherever that might lead them ; for it was 
an adopted principle of action with them that they would not be 
" tied on Tuesday morning to maintain the tenets of Monday night, 
if a new discovery intervened." 

Nor should we altogether overlook their errors ; for their charac- 
ters were such as can endure scrutiny, and it is from the failures of 
men as well as from their success that we learn wisdom. But be 
careful how you censure them ; for it is a maxim of our free institu- 
tions that a man shall be judged by his peers, and perchance many 
that cavil, when tried by this standard, have no right to sit in judg- 
ment upon them. They walked by an inner light, and only those 
who are in some measure favored by such a light can appreciate 
their character. 

Once more, ladies and gentlemen, I bid you welcome. Let this 
day be sacred to the memory of the past, and may its associations 
link us more strongly with our native town. To most of us this is 
consecrated ground ; a father's, a mother's dust is mingled with the 



16 



soil. How often has it been moistened by the tears of affection ! 
May we all unite in the aspiration, that as " God was with our 
fathers so may he be with us," and with those who come after us 
through all future time. 

The President then introduced Rev. S. G. Dodd, of the Central 
Congregational church, the Chaplain of the day, who offered prayer, 
a band of children from Miss M. L. Tinkham's school joining with 
him at the close in repeating the Lord's prayer. The centennial 
hymn was then sung by a select choir, under the leadership of A. 
J. Pickens. At its conclusion, the Star Spangled Banner was per- 
formed by the Middleborough Cornet Band, and then Judge Russell, 
being introduced, delivered the following oration. 



ORATION OF HON. THOMAS RUSSELL. 



The sons and daughters of old Middleborough have done 
well to leave their pleasant homes around this spot, and those 
distant homes to which New England enterprise has borne 
them, gathering here to repeat the names and traditions of 
their fathers, and to trace the steps by which they reared this 
goodly town and helped to build this fair state and this noble 
country. Descended from your ancestors, with the same 
blood in my veins that flows in yours, I could not refuse to 
join in this great holiday of my kinsmen. 

Although the incorporation of this town, was delayed till 
June 1, 1669, the spot had long been known to Europeans. 
Here came Captain Dernier in 1619, and ransomed a captive 
Frenchman, who some years since had been shipwrecked on 
Cape Cod. And here he left Squanto or Tisquantum, kid- 
napped years before by the treacherous Capt. Hunt, sold into 
slavery to Spaniards, and set free by a Spanish monk. Won- 
derful are the ways of Providence. Had our pilgrim fathers 
asked one earthly blessing, it would have been that they 
should find here a friendly Indian able to interpret between 
them and his race. This great need was supplied by the 
crime of Hunt — the wrath of man praising God ; by the 
humanity of the Spanish monk, who little knew what church 
he was helping to build up ; by the kindness of Ferdinando 
Gorges, who ordered the restoration of the exile, and by the 
energy of Captain Dernier, who carried out that order. 

In 1621, Plymouth Colony sent an embassy to Massasoit, — 
Edward Winslow and Stephen Hopkins, who were plentifully 
fed at Nemasket, and who spent the night at Titicut, where 
they ate abundance of bass ; for then, as now, Taunton Great 



is 



Eiver and its head waters were prolific of fish, although not 
as yet fruitful of legislation. On their return, weary and 
hungry, the messengers were once more refreshed at Titicut 
and Nemasket. Later still, Winslow and Hampden visiting 
Massasoit in his illness, and ministering to his needs, found 
food and comfort in their old resting places. You can show 
us the old wading-place below the mill, the Indian weir, the 
fording-place at Eaynham, where two venerable Indians, 
armed with bows and arrows, made a show of opposing the 
passage of the stream. These spots are memorable in his- 
tory. The journeys were short, their events were simple, but 
when we think of the first as confirming the friendship of 
Massasoit, and of the second as prolonging his life, we know 
of no embassy in ancient or modern times that has had more 
influence on the destinies of the world. 

Between these excursions came the memorable expedition 
of Standish, which has been so vividly brought before our 
eyes today. Corbitant, a rebel against his King, and an ene- 
my of the whites, sought to ruin both. The faithful Hobbo- 
mock and Squanto hasten to Nemasket to watch the traitor. 
After a violent scene, Hobbomock escapes to Plymouth, and 
Capt. Standish is sent at once to Nemasket. With little 
bloodshed, and without the loss of life, the rebellion is put 
down. There is little pomp or show in the affair. Histori- 
ans differ as to whether the army consisted of ten or of four- 
teen. But in its results, that day's adventure of a dozen pil- 
grims may have been as important as the grand march of 
Sherman from the mountains to the sea. 

The settlement of Nemasket was long delayed by the num- 
bers of Indians living here. This was the dwelling-place of 
more than one great chief, and the fishing-place of others. 
Even now the thickly peopled graveyards show something of 
their numbers. It is said that for many years after the settle- 
ment of the town, the proportion of Indians to whites was as 
five to one. It is well known that the aborigines selected the 
best situations for their settlements. But the true son of 



19 



Middleborough, whether born at the " Corners," in Nemasket, 
or among the fertile fields of Titicnt, or beyond your present 
limits, in the lake country, whether he lives by the river or 
the pond, needs neither Indian taste nor Indian tradition to 
teach him that for him the fairest spot on earth is his own 
sweet home. The ancient fertility of this region was well 
known to the early settlers at Plymouth. Again and again 
the fruitful fields of Nemasket supplied the hungry pilgrims, 
and but for these rich supplies it seems that the little band 
must have perished of hunger. No, I am wrong. It was 
decreed that they should not perish, and if need had been, a 
flight of quails, a shower of manna would, as of old, have 
preserved the lives of God's people in the wilderness. 

In 1662 was made the first great purchase from Wampetuck 
by " the 26 men." Among them are many familiar names of 
the first settlers, or of their immediate descendants, such as 
Howland, Mullens, Soule, Sprague, Cook, William Brewster, 
son of the famous Elder, and Peter Brown, ancestor of the 
famous John Brown. It will interest some of you to know 
that John Brown took great pride in his pilgrim origin, and 
that his last evening in Boston was spent in the Old South 
chapel, at a meeting in behalf of the Memorial church at 
Southwark. The ancestor and the descendant were both fa- 
natics, but God makes great use of fanatics in advancing his 
reign on earth. 

Additional purchases were made of Tispaquin and others, 
and the town grew till it contained thirty families. These 
are the names of the first settlers : John Thompson, Isaac 
Howland, Francis Coombs, Samuel Fuller, John Morton, 
Moses Simmons, Samuel Barrows, Samuel Eaton, Francis 
Billington, George Soule, Nathaniel Southworth, Ephraim 
Tinkham, Henry Wood, William Nelson, David Thomas, 
John Cobb, Jabez Warren, Edward Bump, Samuel Eddy, 
Samuel Pratt, George Vaughan, John Shaw, Jacob Thompson, 
Francis Miller, John Howland, John Alclen. Those names 
are here still. They are all around me. Many of these men 



20 



till the same farms that their fathers tilled. All of them, so 
far as I know, walk in the same ways in which their fathers 
trod. 

The first deputy to the General Court was John Morton, a 
son of George Morton, who came over in the ship Ann. 
Traditions differ as to the fact whether the venerable house 
which we have admired today, and which is still held by a 
descendant of Morton, was the first which he built, or whether 
his first house was half a mile to the south. For one, I can- 
not believe that any dwelling-house in Middleborough re- 
mained through 1675 and 1676. And I believe that the coals 
and dust, which may still be seen, are the only relics of Mor- 
ton's first house. For now the clouds of war darkened all 
the sky. The terrible year 1675 had come. This town was 
the scene of its first great event. Sausaman, a convert of 
Eliot, said to have been for a time a student at Harvard Col' 
lege, became secretary to King Philip, and revealed his de- 
signs. In revenge, he was murdered by three Iudians on the 
shores of Assawampset lake, and his body was hidden under 
the ice. But the waters refused to conceal the crime, and the 
murderers were tried and executed at Plymouth. What a 
scene, if we could reproduce that court; the jury half whites, 
half Indians ; the judge pronouncing a sentence which was to 
thrill the new world as few state trials have ever thrilled the 
old world. Then we should like to see the old meeting-house 
at Taunton, where Philip and his friends occupied one side, 
while the other was filled by the commissioners of the colo- 
nies, with their armed guard. Then, if we could restore the 
" Morton house " and that other block-house to their old pro- 
portions, and fill them with trembling fugitives, and place a 
marksman at each port-hole, watching, waiting for the attack 
that might come at any minute, — if we could do this, we 
should begin to feel what the days of our fathers really were. 
It has been said that there was no romance in that time. If 
danger braved, and hardship borne, and horrors seen and un- 
seen, defied by faith, — if these are full of romance, of poetry, 



21 



of sublimity, then did our fathers live iu an heroic age, and 
live like true heroes. 

The storm of war burst upon Swanzey. On a quiet Sab- 
bath morning an attack was made, and it was renewed until 
the town was consumed, and many of the people were slain. 
Next, Dartmouth is in flames. The peaceful lives of its 
Quaker inhabitants could not save them from cruel tortures. 
Midclleborough is assailed. The men, women and children 
flee to the garrison house. The miller hangs up his leather 
apron as a mark to be riddled by balls, and makes good his 
escape. An Indian appears on the rock across the river, and 
taunts the whites with insulting gestures, until Isaac Howland 
borrows Sergeant Thompson's long gun, and fires at the long 
range of a hundred and fifty rods. Then, in the language of 
your honored President's father, " the insulting savage fell as 
did that heathen giant who defied the armies of the living- 
God." It is a good thing that you have preserved this relic, 
and it was a good sight to see it borne today by a descendant 
of its former owner, — gun and man well matched. In that 
family, as well as in that gun, the stock remains sound. 

Repeated encounters took place within the limits of the 
town. In one, the Indians were driven across the narrows at 
Assawampsett, by the gallant Capt. Church. In another, 
they were overpowered in a swamp at " Thomastown." But 
the danger was too great ; the settlement was too weak. If 
by day the .men could guard their families, how could they 
bear the terrors of the night, when every tree might hide a 
savage enemy, and every sound seemed like a war-whoop? 
The people wisely withdrew to Plymouth, having lost but one 
man, Robert Dawson by name. The remaining houses of the 
little town were burned. And thus, in the language of that 
day, " one more candle-stick was removed from the land." 

When the war was over, the General Court ordered that 
Dartmouth and Middleborough should both be built more 
compactly, so that they might better be defended against the 
enemy, and so that public worship might be more generally 



22 



attended, the neglect of which, as they feared, had contrib- 
uted to the recent disasters. These two motives for compact 
building are on a large scale praying and keeping the powder 
dry. This method of building aided, also, the free schools of 
New England, which flourish in her villages as they*never 
could have done in scattered settlements like those in other 
portions of the land. 

But the war was not yet over. It raged throughout the 
colonies. Mendon and Brookfield were attacked. Hadley 
was saved by the grand old regicide, who came forth from his 
hiding-place to win one victory more for the cause of the 
saints. Springfield was in flames. The meadows of Dccr- 
field drank the blood of the "flower of Essex." Even after 
the great victory at Narragansett fort, Lancaster, Sudbury, 
and Medfield, were assailed ; Marlborough was abandoned ; a 
bloody massacre occurred even in Plymouth ; and the disas- 
trous expedition of Capt. Pierce almost decimated the young 
men of the Old Colony. Not till Capt. Church had tracked 
King Philip to his last hiding-place in the swamp, where he 
was slain by an Indian, who thus revenged the death of his 
own brother, did the land have rest. 

And now, how did our fathers endure these horrors and 
dangers? Alone, on a strip of half reclaimed land upon the 
edge of a boundless forest, filled with demoniac enemies ; 
outnumbered by these enemies, who surpassed them in skill 
as marksmen and as warriors ; unaided by one . dollar, one 
kind word from the English government, only cheered by a 
contribution from a few saints in Ireland, (which in the Irish 
famine was repaid with interest) ; suspecting, even, that they 
were betrayed by Sir Edmund Andros, who was supposed to 
have supplied the Indians with ammunition from a neighbor- 
ing province, — alone in the presence of visible and invisible 
dangers, how could they remain? How could they endure to 
leave their wives and children exposed every night to name- 
less tortures and outrages ? Read the story of Ann Rowland- 
son's captivity, with her wounded infant, nourished for nine 



23 



days on water alone, till on the ninth day " the poor babe died 
like a lamb." Remember, too, her account of that fellow- 
captive, who, with her new-born child, was surrounded by a 
circle of yelling fiends, that dashed out the brains of mother 
and infant, and thrust the little one into the fire. " The chil- 
dren said she never shed a tear, but prayed ail the time," — 
with grief too deep for tears, with faith above all human reli- 
ance. "What brought them thus afar?" asks Mrs. Hemans. 
" What kept them here ? " we well may ask, when every mo- 
ment their dear ones were exposed to cruel dangers and more 
cruel fears. 

But the whole story is wonderful. Who laid waste the 
land, and strewed it with the whitened bones of its inhabi- 
tants ? Why were those two Indians stolen and instructed in 
English and returned to their homes? How came Miles 
Standish among the pilgrims, — a man without a drop of Pu- 
ritan blood in his veins, — a soldier, who did not join the 
church, — who could not have voted in Massachusetts Bay, 
although the more liberal views of Plymouth allowed him to 
hold office there ? Who soothed the savage heart of Massa- 
soit, and sent rain in the day of need ? 

"We have heard with our ears, oh God; our fathers have 
told us what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old ; 
how thou didst cast out the people, and plantedst them ; how 
thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. For they 
got not the land in possession by their own hand ; neither did 
their own arm save them, but thine arm, and thy right hand, 
and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favor 
unto them." 

Again I answer in the spirit of the pilgrims, but in words 
which they would not have chosen : " For it was thy will to 
destroy, by the hands of our fathers, both those old inhabi- 
tants of thy holy land, whom thou hatedst for doing most 
odious works of witchcrafts and wicked sacrifices ; and those 
merciless murderers of children, and devourers of men's flesh, 



24 



* * * that the land which thou esteemest above all other 
might receive a ivorthy colony of God's children.'" 

Yes, an arm mightier than that of Standish, or of Church, 
of Winslow or Bradford, of Mason or Willard, guarded the 
homes of our fathers, and their triumphs were the victories 
of faith. 

And now let me say a word of the conduct of our fathers 
toward the early settlers. And that word is, that never in 
the history of colonization was there such forbearance, such 
honest and kindly dealing, as that which the early settlers ex- 
ercised toward the natives. Fair purchase of their lands, 
equal justice in dealing with offenders — three white men ex- 
ecuted for the murder of one Indian — faith kept at all haz- 
ards, with constant efforts to civilize and christianize, — this 
was the policy of the Pilgrim Fathers. The names of Eliot, 
Mayhew, and Norton, suggest anything but harshness in deal- 
ing with the savages of New England. Voltaire has said, 
and even juvenile histories have repeated, that the treaty of 
William Penn was the first treaty ever made without an oath, 
and the only one never broken. (He said it not so much be- 
cause he loved Quakers, but because he hated the name which 
gives sanction to an oath.) But on the hill beyond Town 
Brook, in Plymouth, our fathers made a treaty with Massa- 
soit, not confirmed by an oath, and never violated. For not 
till Massasoit had been laid in his grave was a hostile move- 
ment made against the whites by any Indian, who was not 
either a stranger or a rebel to his jurisdiction. 

True it is, that when our fathers were maddened by the 
horrors of " King Philip's war," their treatment of their cap- 
tives was such as shocks every feeling of humanity. But 
even this reproach does not apply to the pilgrim fathers, who 
had long since passed from earth. And we must remember 
that while our fathers in America were guilty of selling cap- 
tives into bondage, they only did to the savages what the 
King of England did to his own countrymen. Even these 
outrages upon enemies fall short of those committed at a later 



25 



period upon the friendly Indians of eastern Pennsylvania. 
The East Indian mutiny was followed by more horrible retri- 
butions than any which was meted out to the savage murder- 
ers of King Philip's time ; and even now our own dealings 
with the Indians of the far west should make us pause before 
we utterly condemn our fathers. They have been reproached 
because the body of Philip was barbarously mutilated. Such 
a mutilation, indeed, shocks our sensibilities ; but we may 
pardon the fugitives from Middleborough if they looked with 
exultation upon the severed head of their enemy as it was 
borne through the streets of Plymouth, and thanked God that 
this scourge of humanity had ceased to afflict the earth. 

Although the war still raged with fury along the coasts of 
Maine, the colony of Plymouth was at peace after the death 
of Philip, and the exiles were free to return. The growth of 
the town was rapid, — increased, at one period, by fugitives 
from the bloody soil of Massachusetts Bay, where the witch- 
craft delusion had caused a reign of terror, for which men 
in their ignorance often condemn the pilgrim fathers of 
Plymouth. Whatever may be urged to excuse that delirium 
of good men, we love to recall the fact that no witch was ever 
convicted in Plymouth colony ; that whenever complaints 
were brought before the magistrates the complainant was 
made to suffer, and that when a Plymouth sea-captain was ar- 
rested in Boston, charged with this crime, Plymouth demand- 
ed and obtained his liberty. We are proud of the fact, also, 
that the weaker and gentler colony hanged no Quaker, and 
dealt gently with the Baptists, and for three years furnished a 
refuge to the great-hearted Roger Williams. 

Your town did its full share in the old French and Indian 
wars, sending to the war of 1755, among others, Abraham 
Peirce, who in the revolution was chosen captain of a militia 
company in place of a tony. When the Lexington summons 
rang through the land, three companies of minute men marched 
from this town to Boston. These, and such as these, are 
the men to whom we- owe our independence. Most of you 



2f> 



remember many survivors of that war, prominent among 
them the last surviving Indian of pure blood. But no Mid- 
dleborough name is so well known in America as that of Deb- 
orah Sampson,- who enlisted under the name of Robert Shurt- 
left* and served two years under the flag of freedom. 

It is pleasant to dwell among the traditions of olden time, 
but they are all familiar to your ears. The names of Fuller, 
Thacher, Conant, Barker, Cotton and Briggs, are still fra- 
grant among the churches of New England. You have read 
of the minister who was supposed to have waylaid a parish- 
ioner that tarried too long at the wine-cup, and to have given 
him a sound beating near the tavern-door, a circumstance 
which might cause doubts whether it were better to have a 
stringent liquor law not enforced, or no law enforced strictly. 
It is recorded that Eev. Mr. Barker, when called to settle 
here, requested that the votes of the sisters might be taken, — 
a record which places him among the pioneers of woman's 
rights. Still more pleasing is it to hear of those whose great 
age spans generations, and connects distant periods. That is 
a wonderful story of Luke Short, who was born about 1630, 
and who died in 1746. This man in his hundredth year was 
converted to the Christian faith, while working in his corn- 
field, by his recollection of a powerful phrase of the famous 
John Flavel. Such is the power of a word rightly spoken. 
The speaker dies and is gathered to his fathers ; new dynas- 
ties succeed each other ; new nations are founded ; and when 
generations have passed away, an old man working in the 
fields of a new world is smitten by that word and falls to the 
earth, and rises a new creature. This worthy saw Oliver 
Cromwell, and witnessed the execution of Charles I. Some 
of your fathers may have seen the man who looked upon that 
great act of justice. 

John Alden, the grandson of the last Mayflower pilgrim, 
died here at the age of 102, leaving alive 172 descendants, 
seven being great-great-grandsons. With a few more such 
citizens, you might have had a city celebration today. Among 



27 



the venerable saints of former days was Joanna Paddock, 
whose father, Elder Faunce, died in 1745, having known 
many of the early settlers at Plymouth. It is recorded of 
Mrs. Mercy Bennett that after the great snow of 1717, she 
being eighteen years old, walked thirteen miles to Plymouth 
and back that she might attend " meeting on the Lord's day." 
In one sense she has left few descendants. This excellent 
woman lived to be a century old, dying in 1799. She often 
said that she had seen Peregrine White in her house. There 
may be aged persons here who have seen a lady who enter- 
tained the first-born son of the pilgrims. 

But I must not linger among these traditions. This is a 
day sacred not only to local pride, but to pilgrim memories. 
The glories of your fathers date not from 1669 or 1662. 
Those fathers met in the cabin of the Mayflower ; they knelt 
upon the sands with Brewster, and joined in his thanksgiving 
for the frugal fare with which God's people were nourished ; 
they stood by the graves of Governor Carver and of Rose 
Standish to find not despair, g but hope and courage. I love 
to trace each step of their progress. We see them leaving 
England in their zeal for their pure form of worship ; quitting 
Holland in their scrupulous devotion to good morals ; volun- 
tarily submitting themselves to written law before they left 
the cabin of the Mayflower ; keeping the sabbath holy on 
that memorable day before the landing at Plymouth ; giving 
the day to rest and worship before the first tree had been cut 
down for the first log-cabin. What other company of adven- 
turers would so have rested on that day ? But those who dif- 
fer from the pilgrims most widely may see that its hours were 
not lost. New England gave the first fruits of her time to 
God. Richly has he showered blessings on her children. 
Woe to New England if ever she forgets to pay this tithe of 
time. 

The church of the pilgrims was the source of our republi- 
can form of government ; and the founders of that govern- 
ment were the fathers of the church. It has been repeated 



28 



till the remark is commonplace, that the town system is the 
foundation of our successful democratic rule. Sir Edmund 
Andros knew this when he forbade town-meetings to do any- 
thing but choose officers. The voting of taxes for the poor, 
for roads, for schools, the open discussion between all citizens 
as equals, — this was self-government, from which a tyrant 
shrank with instinctive alarm. We know it, and it is one 
reason for our interest in a town celebration like this. But 
the truth is not so familiar, that the church is the foundation 
of each town. The first church of all came fully organized 
across the sea. Its earliest records bear date, not Plymouth, 
1620, but Ley den, 1612. And as I lay my hand upon those 
yellow leaves, it seems to me that I am touching the founda- 
tions of empire. Yes, the town is the seed of the state; 
but the church is the germ of that seed, and the very life of 
that germ was the godly preacher who had left his home that 
he might feed the exiles in the wilderness. 

A self-governing church was the best pattern for a self-gov- 
erned state. Democracy, in the form of independency, leaped 
on Plymouth rock, and claimed the western continent as its 
heritage. Delay must intervene; violence would interpose; 
but republicanism was assured. It was all there, — town, 
state, union, the declaration of independence, Bunker Hill, 
Yorktown, the proclamation of emancipation, Gettysburg, 
the surrender of Lee, the greater glories yet to dawn upon 
America — all were decreed when a handful of earnest men 
stood on the shores of a vacant world and claimed that in the 
most important affairs of life they had the right to govern 
themselves. 

New England loves her churches more dearly because they 
have been temples of liberty. She honors liberty more high- 
ly because its home and birthplace was the church. 

" Then let it live unfading, 

The memory of the dead, 
Long as the pale anemone 

Springs where their tears were shed ; 



29 

Or raining in the Summer wind, 

In flakes of burning red, 
The wild rose sprinkles with its leaves 

The turf where once they bled." 

But the great question to-day is, whether the children have 
been worthy of their fathers. All around us are proofs of 
thrift, and comfort, and liberality. A visible blessing rests 
upon this beautiful village. Your elegant church edifices 
show that religion is honored among you. The churches 
themselves have ever been firm in the faith and true to free- 
dom. Your schools, two of them at least, are remarkable 
even in this land of schools. And for your patriotism, Mid- 
dleborough points to her well-filled quotas, and to her list of 
sixty-two martyrs for liberty and union. Lakeville, too, has 
her list of honored dead, — nine good men and true. And 
little Halifax is here. Her Light Infantry, together with com- 
panies that bear the great names of Carver and Standish, 
have honored and graced this occasion. It was once the boast 
of the Halifax Light Infantry, that they received their charter 
from the hands of John Hancock. It is now their prouder 
boast, that on the midnight call of John A. Andrew they 
mustered with full ranks at the dawn of day. Many an Old 
Colony town shared the glory of that night and day. I dare 
not say how many towns Capt. Harlow visited to summon his 
men, but I do dare to say that when the tramp of his horse 
roused the slumbering villages of Plymouth county, Bradford 
and Carver, Brewster, Standish and Winslow looked down 
and rejoiced over the approaching triumph of liberty. With 
a population of 738, Halifax points to a roll of twenty-two 
heroic dead, — a record equalled by*no town in the state. 
The descendants of the pilgrims have been true to their an- 
cestors. 

Men of Middleborough, you have a goodly heritage, a grand 
record. It will be your glory to transmit them to your sons 
unimpaired, improved, ennobled, so that when a hundred 
years have passed away, your descendants may look back to 



30 



you and say, with pride and gratitude, "These men were our 
fathers." 

The oration was listened to with the greatest interest throughout 
by the large audience that filled the tent, and was frequently inter- 
rupted by bursts of applause. At its conclusion, the audience 
united in singing the one hundredth psalm and the doxology, after 
which the company adjourned to the dinner tables. 

Among those occupying the platform and attracting particular 
notice, was the Kev. Thomas Williams, of Providence, that vener- 
able man now just entering the ninetieth year of his age. 



THE DINNER. 



Nearly nine hundred sat down to a bountiful dinner provided by 
Thomas Cook, of Boston. A blessing was asked by Rev. Mr. Fair- 
banks, of the Central Baptist church. After about a half hour had 
been devoted to the dinner itself, the speaking was recommenced. 
C. D. Kingman was introduced as toast-master, and read as the 
first sentiment : 

Boston — We rejoice in her greatness and prosperity, and we honor those 
who guide her destiny. 

Responded to by Mayor Shurtleff, of Boston, who said : 

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, — For' your kind sentiment, so re- 
spectful to the place of my birth, I cannot but be very grateful. Although 
I am a Bostonian, I have nevertheless the greatest regard for all that per- 
tains to the Old Colony, within whose bounds not only both my parents, 
but also all my American ancestry had their origin and were reared. "What- 
ever there may be counected with your associations, the same belongs 
equally to me in common with you ; for, whether my blood may be good or 
bad, I am sure of this, that all of it flows from the veins of the New Eng- 
land forefathers, the first-comers to the Old Colony, of which your town 
forms a considerable and very important part. Therefore when my mind 
recurs to the early days of the pilgrim fathers of New England, I cannot 
but recall the self-sacrificing spirit of that noble body of men who, leaving 
all that they held clear in the home of their birth, and flying from the ty- 
ranny that constrained them in the old country, sought new abodes, where 
they could worship their God according to their own predilections and the 
dictates of their own consciences, uninfluenced by dogmas, uncontrolled 
by blasting hierarchies, and governed only by themselves, guided by their 
own truth and natural instincts of right for themselves, and of justice, lib- 
erality and equity for all other. I am even now forced to go back with 
them in imagination to their ancient abodes near the joining borders of 
Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, and there view them in their 
every-day walk of life, — industrious and frugal, prayerful and painstaking, 
suffering contumely and reproach for religion's sake, and finally embarking 
for foreign shores, when abuse and intolerance could be no longer borne. 
I follow them to their intermediate dwelling-place in Holland, and also pass 



32 



with them in their slender vessel over the trackless ocean in the most in- 
clement season of the year, to a new home, the barren fields and the-inhos- 
pitable natives made anything but inviting to their famishing, sick and 
dying people. 

What, I ask you, were the first thoughts of that people on their arrival 
on our shores ? Prayer for mercies received, and for their deliverance from 
great dangers ; and then compact, — the social compact, written and signed 
in the cabin of the Mayflower — the first written constitution the world 
ever knew, — the charter by themselves enacted, which bound to respect 
others, to govern themselves, and above all things to live a godly life, lov- 
ing each other, and trusting in the God of their fathers, who also proved 
to them a good God, delivering them from total destruction and guiding 
them finally to a home, where they and their descendants should practise 
those virtues and inculcate those doctrines which shpuld build up the great- 
est and the freest nation on the earth, a resting-place for the oppressed of 
all people of all nations, complexions and tongues. Such, I say, were 
those whom you and I feel proud to-day in calling ancestors. Such were the 
fathers of this soil, and such, I trust, will always be their descendants. 



Middleborough — Well may her citizens be made proud and happy by a 
comparison of- this day, 1869, with the day we celebrate, 1669. 

Responded to by John Eddy, Esq., of Providence, a native of 
Middleborough. 

Mr. President, — In responding to your call, I will endeavor to bring my 
remarks within the limits of a good sermon, which is said to resemble a 
kiss, each requiring two heads and an application. My first ancestor in 
the Old Colony was Samuel Eddy, the son of William, who was a noncon- 
formist clergyman of Cranbrook, in the county of Kent, in England. He 
emigrated, in company with his brother John, in 1629, and arrived at Ply- 
mouth in November of that year, having sailed from Boxted in the good brig 
Harvest. In 1662 he, in company with twenty-five others, purchased of 
Sachem Wampatuck a large portion of the lands comprised in the old town 
of Middleborough. Soon after he built one of the first houses ever erected 
by the whites in Middleborough, on that portion of the lands which fell to 
him in the division. From that day to the present hour, the Eddy family 
in the easterly part of the town have resided on those lands so purchased, 
and can trace back their titles to the aforesaid Sachem. Thus it has been 
that the name has been closely identified with the history of this grand old 
town from a period seven years anterior to its birthday as a corporation to 
the present time. I am also informed by Professor Charles Walter Eddy, 
of Oxford University, that the English branch of the family have been dur- 
ing all the interim, and are now, in possession of the old estate from which 
Samuel and John Eddy emigrated in 1629. I think, therefore, it can be 
safely inferred that in philosophy they were not peripatetics. 



33 



Obadiah Eddy, the son of Samuel, was living in his house, situated a few 
steps in the rear of the pi'esent location of the barn of the late Hon. Zech- 
ariah Eddy, when Philip's war broke out in 1675. There were then but 
twenty families in the town, and all of their residences were burnt by the 
Indians according to his testimony. After the war was over he returned 
from Plymouth, whither he had fled, and rebuilt his dwelling near where 
his first one was located. He is said to have planted near his house those 
two immensely large pear trees, which but recently were in bearing. And 
I have heard my grandfather say that he had made from the pears of these 
two trees in one year forty-five barrels of perry, although the pears that 
grew upon them were scarcely larger than one's thumb. 

My grandmothers have figured also in the history of the Old Colony, as 
the records show. On one occasion Elizabeth, the wife of Samuel, was 
introduced to the Governor and assistants — by the sheriff— on account of 
having committed no less an offence than hanging out some linen on the Lord's 
day. She was fined two shillings, which, however, was graciously remitted 
for good cause shown. And again she was brought before the Governor and 
assistants for having travelled from Plymouth to Boston on the Lord's day. 
It fully appeared in the testimony that a Mrs. Saffin was very ill. and not 
expecting to recover sent for Elizabeth, anxiously desiring to see her before 
her death. The Governor (who in those clays attended most faithfully to 
his duties) thought that he saw not a sufficient excuse, but nevertheless 
contented himself with an admonition. 

It was one of my grandmothers, sir, who heard the pigs squealing of a 
night when her husband was absent from home, and suspecting the cause, 
took down the old King's arm that hung over the spacious fireplace, 
and loading it with good judgment, stole out into the darkness, and suc- 
ceeded in discharging its contents into the breast of one of the largest 
bears that ever infested this town. If you will compare the heroism of the 
women of Middleborough two hundred years ago with their daughters now 
before me, which one of you all have bagged bigger game, or shown a 
better title to woman's rights ? 

I fear, sir, that there was a taint of Wall street upon some of my ances- 
tors, on account of their having dabbled in joint stock enterprises; for it 
is recorded that as early as the year 1G32, Samuel Eddy was the owner of 
four shares in the black heifer. Taking these last two statements into ac- 
count, you may draw your own conclusions whether in their operations 
they were bulls or bears. 

I might, Mr. President, further illustrate the heroism of my forefathers, 
but I am admonished that he who boasts of his ancestry thereby acknowl- 
edges that the progeny have degenerated. I think, however, you will be 
compelled to acknowledge that by this recital you have been somewhat 
edified. 

When Philip's war was over, Captain Church, who has been eulogized by 
the orator of the day, was a colonial hero. Of him there are many inter- 
esting incidents related by our fathers which ought to be preserved. In 
his day practical joking was more in vogue than at the present time. On 

E 



34 



one occasion he called upon Mr. Sturtevant, the grandfather of the late 
Dr. George Sturtevant, and as he entered the house he left his trusty mus- 
ket in the entry. Mr. Sturtevant, entering soon after, recognized the gun as 
belonging to the Captain, whereupon he drew from it the charge of shot 
which it contained and went in to chat with the gallant hunter. When he 
was about leaving, Sturtevant proposed to give him a shot at his flock of 
turkeys, at a certain distance, for one dollar. The proposition was ac- 
cepted, the distance paced off, the turkeys congregated, and Church blazed 
away, but not a feather was disturbed. Church suspected the cause. A 
year or two after, a similar scene occurred, but the Captain had taken the 
precaution before entering Sturtevant's house to double-load his musket, 
and, when he drew bead, thirteen turkeys paid the forfeit, to the great as- 
tonishment of Mr. Sturtevant. 

There are many good stories and sketches of the lives and customs of 
our fathers which I hope to see collected ; and I venture the assertion that 
one of the most readable of books could be manufactured out of that re- 
markable individuality which illustrates the history of our town. Of John 
Paddock alone, who was a descendant of one of the twenty-six purchasers 
of Middleborough, a most interesting chapter might be written. 

I am admonished, sir, that I am occupying too much time, and I conclude 
with this sentiment. 

Our Mothers — To their heroism, devotion, self-sacrifice and Christian 
faith and patience are we mostly indebted for the civil and religious privi- 
leges and blessings which we enjoy. 



The old Ministers of Middleborough — Identified with the people, and 
serving successive generations, their works do follow them. 

Responded to by Eev. C. W. Wood, of Campello, a native of 
Middleborough. 

Mr. President, — The history of any of our New England towns which 
should omit to notice its ministers, would indeed be very incomplete. 
Though not many particular acts or traits of character of the early minis- 
ters of Middleborough have been preserved, yet these may be quite well 
understood from what is known of other towns of the Old Colony and the 
Commonwealth. In early times the morals and customs of society were 
in a great measure under the guidance of the clergyman. Great respect 
was paid to his opinions, and almost reverence given to his person. Such 
provision was made by law for his support, and such enactments passed to 
give him authority in his office, as to secure to him permanence and inde- 
pendence. Middleborough was incorporated with the proviso that a com- 
petency of land be reserved for a minister. It was enacted that every 
town provide a house for its minister, and that the county court take meas- 
ures that all deficiencies of salary be supplied. It would seem that so far 
as temporalities are concerned, the minister of the olden time might pur- 



35 

sue his work with comfort and ease. It can be readily imagined how com- 
fortable would be the minister of the present day, if the government would 
take such good care of him as it once did of his predecessors in office, and 
would furnish him with a convenient house and a sufficient quantity of land, 
and would charge the courts to see to it that all deficiencies in ministers' 
salaries should be supplied. 
, The law and the customs of society then conceded to the minister a large 
share of dignity and honor. It was enacted that repeated contempt shown 
to a regular preacher and his doctrine should be puuished by a fine or by 
the exposure of the offender two hours openly upon a block or stool four 
feet high upon a public meeting day, wearing upon his breast tne words, 
" An open and obstinate contemner of God's holy ordinances." 

Upon the sabbath, after the people had assembled in the house of wor- 
ship, the minister was waited upon by an officer and escorted to the pulpit, 
as the sheriff escorts the judge to the court house. As he entered, the con- 
gregation arose, and remained standing until he had reached the pulpit and 
had taken his seat. At the close of the service the same ceremony was 
observed. 

The dress of the clergyman of olden time had a tendency to inspire re- 
spect in the minds, especially of young persons. With his broad coat sup- 
plied with capacious pockets, with his ample vest reaching nearly to the 
knees, with his long stockings and high shoes, with his flowing wig and 
cocked hat, the minister, especially on horserback, was a sight to behold. 
It is said that a newly arrived son of the Emerald Isle, who had had some- 
thing to do with the courts of his native land, and stood in mortal fear of 
the judges, seeing one of these New England ministers approaching, took 
to his heels, and came running into his house, exclaiming, "The judges 
are coming. I just saw one of them, with a wig as big as a ship." One, 
speaking of the dignified appearance of a certain clergyman, said, " He 
looks like an ambassador of a great King." 

The minister, thus honored and revered, exercised great authority in his 
parish. He interested himself in the welfare of his people in every respect. 
He saw that schools were properly conducted, that the public house was 
kept orderly, that industry and thrift were promoted, and that the morals 
of the people, especially of the young, were guarded. "John," said a 
preacher from his pulpit in an adjoining town, to a disorderly boy, " Come 
to my house to-morrow morning at 8 o'clock." And at the appointed hour 
John appeared at the door of the parsonage to receive a merited reprimand, 
for neither John nor his parents would fail to respect a command from the 
minister so publicly given. 

A minister in a town not far from this, perplexed by the inattention of 
his hearers, in the midst of his sermon took his hat and deliberately walked 
out of the house to his home ; nor would he resume his preaching until his 
people had apologized for their listlessness, and promised better*atten- 
tion in the future. 

A preacher in one of our country parishes, in a New Year's sermon having 
stated that the marriages had been few in number the preceding year, 



36 



turned to the young men, to whom seats were assigned in one of the gal- 
leries, and exclaimed, " This will never do ! Young men, young men ! you 
are expected to do your duty ! " 

It may perhaps be thought that the clergyman of olden time was always 
of a sedate and solemn countenance, and ever diffusing an air of gloom 
about him; but this is a great mistake. No class of persons were of a 
more cheerful spirit; none met their friends with a more genial face, or* 
enjoyed more heartily social life. Many of them interested themselves in 
the amusements of the people, and believed in muscular Christianity as 
fully as any of the present daj r . It is said that in a town not far from this, 
wrestling was a very common amusement. Upon the ordination of a new 
minister, many of the people were very desirous to have the question set- 
tled whether the minister or the doctor would come out the better in a 
wrestling-match. They were requested to settle the championship on the 
village green, but the modesty of the minister induced him to decline such 
a public exhibition. He however took occasion to invite the doctor to ride 
with him, and when they reached a retired place where a few persons, who 
had an inkling of what was going on, had met, proposed that then and 
there the matter be decided. The result was, as the story goes, that the 
doctor was thrown and put over the fence, to the great satisfaction of the 
minister's friends. It is told of one of the distinguished ministers of New 
England, and who has been falsely represented as possessing a very stern 
and forbidding temper, that in fact he was of such a mild and gentle spirit 
that the insane were often sent, at their own request, to reside with him, 
and were very much relieved by his sagacity and gentleness. 

The ministers of the olden time exerted a great influence npou the intel- 
lectual character of the people, from the interest they ever took in the 
cause of education. Through the efforts of a single clergyman in a retired 
part of Massachusetts, thirty youth of his parish were trained for profes- 
sional life. In one of our smallest towns about one hundred students were 
prepared for college in the minister's study. Another pastor fitted for col- 
lege about the same number, among whom were some of the most distin- 
guished men of our country. Another pastor saw, out of one hundred and 
sixty-two of his scholars, thirty entering the learned professions. These 
are but illustrations of the influence which has gone forth from the pastor's 
study of New England. 

The minister of the olden time was distinguished for his patriotism. 
The patriotic eloquence of Patrick Henry is to be largely attributed to the 
eloquent preacher he was accustomed to hear in his early days. It is ad- 
mitted that in the war of the revolution it was very much through the in- 
fluence of the clergy that men were made valiant in resisting encroachments 
upon the rights of man. To them is to be attributed, in a great measure, 
its commencement and its happy termination. 

A recruiting officer came into one of our towns, and having labored with 
no success to raise volunteers, asked the minister what more could be done. 
The pastor appointed a meeting on sabbath evening, and preached from the 
text, " Cursed be he that withholdeth his sword from blood." Before the 



37 



assembly retired to their homes, forty persons gave in their names as vol- 
unteers. 

The historian of Pittsfleld says that the sermons of the minister were 
among the chief instruments in giving the town that proud position which 
it holds in revolutionary story. When the alarm was given of Burgoyne's 
approach, and volunteers started hastily for action, the minister was with 
them riding in his old sulky, "going to war in his chariot, like the heroes 
of classic and scriptural story," and when the battle commenced he not 
only stimulated the soldies by his words, but took the musket, and by their 
side did what he could to gain for them victory. 

So marked were the exhorts of the clergy in the early struggles for inde- 
pendence, that legislative bodies aud others in authority publicly acknowl- 
edged the obligations of the country to the ministers as friends of liberty. 
As we remember the fathers to-day, we will not forget the minister of early 
times, to whose wisdom, learning and piety we owe so much. They labored, 
and we have entered into their labors. 



Our Pilgrim Fathers — With the gospel in their hearts, with the sword 
in one hand and the spade in the other, they planted institutions which have 
ever borne blessiugs to their descendants. 

Responded to by Gen. E. W. Pierce, of Freetown, who, as he had 
not anticipated being called upon, said, as he arose, that his feelings 
were like those of the boy who, at the school exhibition, could not 
answer the question proposed to him by the examining committee, 
and with an air of injured innocence replied, that was not the ques- 
tion of the lesson that he had learned or prepared himself to 
answer. He said that history showed conclusively that the pilgrim 
fathers devoted a great deal of their time to preaching, praying, 
and fighting ; and although in many things he was not a great ad- 
mirer of the pilgrim fathers, believing them to have had faults, 

but these faults were of the age in which they lived rather than 
their- faults as a people. Yet they had virtues, many virtues wor- 
thy of commendation ; and among these was, that they honestly 
believed that they were doing right, even when practising their 



most egregious errors. He was glad that all of the pilgrim spirit 
had not fled, as we have most ample proof afforded us here to-day ; 
and said that not only much of their spirit remained, but many of 
their customs continue to be practiced, customs that with them 
arose from an exigency that has long since ceased to exist, it being 
that manner of seating a religious congregation with the men and 
boys next the pew door or entrance of the seat, pew or slip, that 



38 



grew out of their necessity for being always ready to act on the 
defensive against the hostile Indian. Those were the days when 
the words of the hymn, " Oh watch, and fight, and pray," were big 
with practical meaning. 

" Oft did the harvest to their sickle yield,— 
Their furrow oft the stubborn glebe has broke. 

How jocund did they drive their team a-fleld ; 
How bowed the woods beneath their sturdy stroke." 

Of the many happy gatherings, pleasant seasons and joyful occa- 
sions in which it has been the fortune of the people of Middlebor- 
ough and her children to participate, to us it has been reserved to 
join in the festivity of its bi-centennial celebration ; and now in 
my mind's eye I am carried back to one of these, viz., that, when 
the people of this time-honored town were assembled to offer thanks- 
giving and praise for a mighty deliverance the country had just re- 
ceived from the yoke of Great Britian, and celebrate the crowning 
glory of the success of their arms on the battlefield at Yorktown, 
Virginia. The speaker then drew from his pocket a smoky and 
tattered paper, being an original letter, and read as follows : 

LETTER ADDRESSED TO COL. JOHN NELSON, MIDDLEBOROUGH. 

Middleborough, 17 Novem., 1781. 

Dear Colo. : Last Thursday's paper gave us an account from His Excel- 
lency, Gen'l Washington, and Congress, of the complete surrender of Corn- 
wallis and the troops under his command ; a loug wished for period. Now 
we have no reason to doubt or suspect it. In consequence of which this is 
to desire you to come next Monday afternoon and see us, that we may join 
our generous hearts in festival of triumph and joy, while we usher in the 
scene with the crack of thirteen guus to the honor of the states, and give 
a toast to our worthy brethren who have with such a becoming ardor 
pressed forward with undaunted bravery, till they have completed the glo- 
rious work whereby peace may not only be restored to us, but extended 
from pole to pole. At the same time let all the glory be given to that Om- 
nipotent Being who crowns our arms with such signal success. 

Be kind enough to take Doctor Mont'yand Capt. Shaw, or any others you 
may please to nominate, with you, by which means we shall make the lis- 
tening groves and murmuring rivulets, and the rebounding echoes of the 
neighboring villages, join to propagate the din. By this we shall show to 
the world we have yet in our breasts hearts of free men that will disdain to 
let the brave exploits of our noble sons sink down in everlasting forgetful- 
ness, and buried in oblivion unnoticed. By this we shall show that the 
arms of America have prospered, and will prosper, and that we mean to 



39 



brand with everlasting infamy those who dare oppose us on our way, and 
thus insult the gods with infidelity. 

I am, in haste, with sentiments of esteem, 
Yours obsequiously, 

JAMES SPEOAT. 

The speaker closed with the sentiment, — 

The honored and honorable memory of that people whose God is the 
Lord. 



The Pilgrim Mothers — By their power at the old hearthstones, for vir- 
tue, for liberty and for heaven, they still live, the true exemplars of woman's 
rights. 

The president here said, I extend a cordial invitation to any lady 
present who may choose to respond to this sentiment. No one ris- 
ing, he called on Judge Russell, who spoke substantially as follows : 

Mr. President, — I hoped that some good daughter of Middleborongh 
would have responded to that sentiment; but I am proud to be a substitute 
in such a cause, and I have only to say that the right of woman to en- 
counter clanger and to bear suffering for truth was never questioned. When 
in the course of a few years our conservative objections have all been over- 
borne ; when the rampant radicalism of a reckless age shall have decided 
that the most intelligent and best educated women in America may be 
trusted to vote as well as the stranger ignorant of our laws, our customs 
and our language, just dumped upon the wharf at New York, and claiming 
citizenship on the strength of a forged naturalization paper, — even then 
woman will have not attained a power so grand as has been accorded to her 
in the earliest ages. De Quincy, writing of Joan of Arc, doubts (heretic 
that he is) whether woman has the power to write like Shakspeare, or com- 
pose like Mozart, inquiring (sophist as he is) why, if she can, she never has 
done so. But he admits that she can do one thing more grandly than man. 
Her prerogative is to sutler nobly. From the Komau amphitheatre and the 
Roman catacombs ; from the fires of Smithfield; from the rock of Plym- 
outh, the spirits of martyred women have borne witness to the truth, and 
have shown the strength of woman's faith. Their example has taught the 
race ; their inspiration has elevated our laws ; they have ennobled the life of 
the world. The mothers and daughters among these whom we commem- 
orate to-day shared amply the grand privilege of women. But the noblest 
and grandest illustration of woman's right to sutler was shown to the world 
when Mary stood beside the cross. 



The Grand Army of the Republic — Historic with the memory of many a 
victory and disaster in defence of our common country, bound together by 



40 



brotherly ties to protect and sustain the families of their fallen comrades ; 
we venerate the dead, we love to honor the living. 

Responded to by A. T. Wales, of Middleborough. 

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, — I feel that it is presumptuous in 
me to attempt to respond to this sentiment, aud especially when I look 
around upon my comrades here and see some who bear upon their persons 
the scars of that conflict which resulted in the salvation of the nation, and 
others who held positions of rank in that gallant army of the union, any of 
whom could more fittingly respond for the Grand Army of the Republic. 
But since it has fallen upon me to stand in this position, I suppose I must 
say " the fates are just, - ' and as a good soldier I must not refuse to do my 
duty. 

Coming together, my friends, to-day, to celebrate the two hundredth an- 
niversary of the town's incorporation, and looking back to the early days 
of our colonial history, when these foundation principles of government 
and society were planted here, although the seed was small we cannot fail 
to follow its growth in each successive stage, aud wituess the effect of those 
first principles in carrying us safely through the crisis of each generation, 
from 16G9 to 18G9. The determined, unflinching support of these princi- 
ples which on this continent created a new era in human affairs, had caused 
many a conflict in the legislation aud government of the country, until at 
last, when victory after victory had perched upon its banner, its antagonistic 
principle in our government, resolving to rule or ruin, resorted to a conflict 
of arms, and when the tocsin of war was sounded, when open rebelliou was 
stalking through the land, the same self-sacrificing devotion to principle was 
exhibited which sustained the pilgrims of Plymouth in their attempt to plant 
fair freedom's tree upon our sterile coast, which nerved their arms to defend 
themselves against a savage foe, aud at a later day was exhibited by their 
descendants in spurning the aggressions and encroachments of the mother 
country until, appealing to the supreme judge of the world for the rectitude of 
their intentions, they struck for and achieved the independence of the nation. 

The same spirit which was manifested by our ancestors in those early 
days of trial was again exhibited in 1861, when, regardless of all persoual 
considerations, the loyal armies of the union rallied to save the nation's 
life. On an occasion like this it is needless to recount the victories and 
disasters of that great contest; its glorious achievements have passed into 
history, aud coming generations will shower benedictions upon the memory 
of those who participated in that contest, as long as the flag of the United 
States of America floats upon the breeze. 

When the great conflict of arms was ended, and the citizen soldier re- 
turned again to the civil pursuits of life, the Grand Army of the Republic 
was called into existence. In its ranks are the survivors of every battle- 
field of the rebellion. Here comrade greets comrade with a hearty, frater- 
nal brotherly affection, mutually resolving to perpetuate and cherish the 
memory of those who gave up their lives as martyrs for their country's 



n 



cause, arid also to become the guardian and protector of those families who 
sacrificed a father, husband, son or brother on the altar of their country. 
By the memory of our dead comrades we consecrate ourselves to that loy- 
alty which was their inspiration, and by upholding the flag of our country 
we shall see to it that they did not die in vain. The influence to be exerted 
by this organization is powerful ; numbering about four hundred thousand 
members, it extends to every section of the land. 

Comrades in a common cause, tried in the school of battle, coming to- 
gether in a fraternal brotherhood, with charity for the deserving and desti- 
tute by their example in the past and pledge for the future, proclaiming 
devoted loyalty to the country, our organization cannot fail to sustain and 
extend the vital principles of free government; and when the last gray 
haired veteran comrade shall have passed away from earth, coming genera- 
tions will not forget the noble virtues of the Grand Army of the Republic. 



The Masonic Fraternity — The oldest and most widespread society 
founded by man ; with faith, hope and charity for its corner stones, may it 
stand forever. 

Responded to by I. H. Harlow, of Middleborongh. 



Enoch Pratt, of Baltimore — By his interest and liberality in the cause of 
education in his native town, he merits and receives the esteem of all her 
citizens. 

Responded to by Zebulon Pratt, Esq., of Middleborongh. 

An honor to this town ; let not the town forget this day to honor him. 
He is not here present, but his works are with us, and deeds speak louder 
than words. He early went out from us, and will probably never again be 
an inhabitant of Middleborough ; but he will never be, as many are, un- 
mindful of the home that gave him birth. He has been a successful model 
merchant, a notable example of what energy, industry and integrity may 
accomplish. In the exercise of these virtues, the iron interest of Pennsyl- 
vania has made him a millionaire. With the most limited advantages in 
youth, attending school but a few weeks in a year, at fourteen entering upon 
an apprenticeship with a Boston merchant, and continuing faithful therein 
for five years, he began business for himself while yet in his minority, and 
for forty years has been constructing not only a fortune, but an honorable 
reputation. We pay him special honor to-day for his liberal benefactions 
in behalf of his native town, particularly as the liberal patron of education ; 
for while under small obligations for an education to the fathers of this 
town, he has laid enlarged foundations for the mental culture and improve- 
ment of their children in all coming time, and generously encourages the 
hope of still further benefactions. In doing this he has not only benefitted 
one portion of the town with an excellent English school, but has thereby 

F 



42 



lightened the burdens of all the town, whose prosperity in every part he 
prizes as the soil of his parentage. It is undoubtedly the desire of this bi- 
centennial assemblage in the town of Middleborough, October, 1809, that 
the name of Enoch Pratt have honorable mention, and that he receive from 
us the assurance of our thankful and respectful appreciation. 

The Old Colony — The fairest piece in the wheel of state; how wide an 
empire acknowledges the sway of her principles. 

Responded to by J. Z. T. Thompson, Esq., of Halifax. 



Our Country — North, South, East and West; the land of the free, the 
home of the brave. 

Responded to by Rev. TV. H. Alden, of Portsmouth, N. II., a native 
of Middleborough. 

Mr. President, — Just as the procession was being formed this morning, 
an old friend said to me that I should be called upon to respond to a senti- 
ment that would be given on this occasion. As I have listened with the 
deepest interest to the sentiments offered and the responses given, I have 
felt something as I did in my college clays, when in the recitation room with 
imperfect preparation, " I hoped I should not be called upon." But this is 
an occasion on which personal feeling must yield to a higher sense of duty, 
and every son who has been invited to the home and the scenes of his child- 
hood, should hold himself in readiness to contribute his portion whenever 
called upon, even though it should prove little else than the widow's mite. 

Laying aside, then, the cares of business and the anxieties of professional 
life, and those rivalries and contentions which embitter so much of the 
brief period of our fleeting lives, it is good for us on this two hundredth 
anniversary, to come up to this cherished spot, with sentiments of love and 
gratitude, to renew the recollections of our earlier days, to cultivate that 
sympathy for each other which will lead us in the bond of brotherhood, and 
encourage us in the pursuit of whatsoever things are lovely and of good re- 
port. It is indeed a delightful privilege to return to the home of my boy- 
hood at this season of her jubilee, to pay her the homage of filial gratitude, 
and in our fraternal communion to bring back to the heart something of the 
freshness and warmth of early affection. It is good for us that we should 
come up to this great festival, not only for the soul-swelling gratification 
which it affords, but for a still nobler purpose — to awaken a sense of our 
obligations and to rekindle at this altar the fire of devotion to our common 
parent, this dear old town. 

Sir, it is with an honest pride that I stand here to-day. I am proud of 
my old home. I have lived where men talk proudly of the Empire State, 
and of the old Granite State ; but the name of old Massachusetts has a 
charm stronger for me than the Empire or the Granite State. My own 



43 



native home is clear to me, and I feel to exclaim in reference to the place of 
my nativity, " If I forget thee let my right hand forget its cunning." And 
I should be ashamed if there were a drop of blood in my veins that refused 
to answer such a welcome as yours. It has made me feel that I was at 
home again, — a home that I honor, a home that I love, a home tbat I have 
never forgotten, and which I now know has never forgotten me. It is em- 
phatically " the home of the brave." 

We went out from our home one by one, we return to-day an army with 
banners. We went out with trembling hearts, we return to-day bringing 
our sheaves with us ; but we went out children, and as children we return. 
True, it may be hard for you to find a trace in the men before you of the 
boys that left you years ago ; but I trust you will pardon us for not remem- 
bering the changes you so plaiuty see. We stand on our native soil again ; 
old faces meet us in the street, old voices are sounding in our ears, the 
child's heart beats within the man's, and with the affection that we left you 
we meet you to-day. 

But as we come around your generous board, we remember those who 
went out with us, and are now gone beyond welcome or return. Nor can 
we forget that of the hands that last pressed ours, and the hearts that 
would have beat quickest at our return, many are beneath that sod which 
we left with the waving grass upon it, and come back to find it hallowed" 
and consecrated ground. For such memories, which it were idle to banish 
from our lips, and utterly impossible to banish from our hearts, sir, we 
thank you. For the kindness which we have enjoyed to-day we are more 
than thankful. We shall remember it to the last day of our lives. 



The Educational Institutions of Middleborough — Founded by the wis- 
dom aud liberality of her own honored citizens, they have yielded invalu- 
able fruit. 

Responded to in the following remarks by Prof. J. W. P. Jenks, 
for twenty-seven years Principal of Peiree Academy. 

Mr. President, — I rise simply to allude to two individuals, whose names 
should of all others be honorably mentioned in connection with the senti- 
ment that has just been read. Sixty-one years ago, in 1808, when there 
was no place for public religious service in this village, Dea. Levi Peiree 
built at his own expense the original building of the Academy that bears 
his name, and dedicating the hall to the service of religion, and the other 
rooms to education, thus met by his timely liberality the immediate wants 
of the community in these particulars. Twenty years later he likewise 
erected at his own expense, in the same enclosure, a sanctuary for public 
worship; thus acknowledging and perpetuating the sentiment and practice 
so dear to our forefathers, and already so eloquently commented upon by 
the orator of the day, "The church and school side by side, the hope of the 
state." The snows of nearly a quarter of a century have whitened his 



44 



grave in yonder cemetery, but the recollection of him is fragrant in all our 
memories, and must so remain while Peirce Academy and the Central Bap- 
tist church have an existence. 

But. Mr. Presidom, as I look from beneath this canopy and see waving in 
the breeze on the cupola of the Academy the "stars and stripes," so dear 
to every loyal American citizen, I am reminded of one who was proud to 
speak of Peirce Academy as his Alma Mater. Brig. Gen. E. A. Peirce, soon 
after graduating from the Academy, was admitted to the bar, quickly sent 
to the hall of legislation, and early found in the van of our volunteers in 
the great rebellion. We next find him in command of our largest state 
camp at Readville, where his executive ability shone out so conspicuously 
that our worthy Governor retained him in that position till the close of. the 
war, to the great advantage of our military record, but to the destruction 
of his own health. Seeking in vain its restoration by a residence in Flor- 
ida, he returned but a few months ago to be laid in the tomb. In the dark- 
est clays of the rebellion, that beautiful banner was presented by him to the 
Academy, and first fiung to the breeze on the funeral day of our lamented 
President. 

In closing permit me, sir, to repeat the names of Bea. Levi Peirce and 
Gen. R. A. Peirce as worthy to be mentioned in this preseuce; the one ver- 
ifying the assertion in the first part of the sentiment to which I have the 
honor to respond, as " founder in wisdom and liberality " of our principal 
educational institution; the other equally verifying the asssertiou in the 
latter part of the sentiment, as one of its " invaluable fruits : ' among thou- 
sands now adorning the pulpit, the bar and the workshop. 

The old Thompson Gun — By one single deed it won historic fame for all 
time. 

Ephraim B. Thompson being called upon, exhibited the gun, 
also a sword and brass pistols, formerly owned by Lieut. John 
Thompson, and responded as follows : 

Mr. President, — With a ball cartridge, the response of this gun would be 
with as deadly effect and at as long a range to-day as when it brought down 
the Indian from yonder rock. But in the absence of ammunition, permit 
me to say that I am the sixth generation in lineal descent from John Thomp- 
son, who was born in the North of England in 1G13, and landed at Plymouth in 
May, 1G35. He married Mary Cook, third daughter of Francis Cook. They 
had twelve children — six sons and six daughters. He located about twenty 
rods west of the Plymouth line, in what was then Middleborough, (but now 
Halifiix,) where he built a log-house, which was burnt by the Indians at 
the commencement of Philip's war. The day previous, he was absent from 
home. When he returned at night he inquired of his wife if she had seen 
any Indians. She replied that there had been a number of squaws there, and 
they were uncommonly friendly, and very helpful, — went with her to the 
garden and assisted in picking beans. He replied, "There is trouble ahead; 



Lore. 



45 



we must pack up immediately, and go to the garrison." The teams were 
put in readiness and a portion of their furniture and goods were loaded, 
while a part was secreted in a swamp near the dwelling-house ; and before 
early dawn they were moving. They had not gone many miles before the 
column of smoke made sure to them the fate of their dwelling. 

At the garrison, those capable of bearing arms, sixteen in number, met 
and chose John Thompson their commander. He applied to the Governor 
and Council at Plymouth for a commission, but considering the small num- 
ber of men, they gave him a lieutenant's commission. Soon after Philip's 
war closed, he built a frame house a few rods north of where the former 
was burnt. It was lined with brick, with loop-holes, so as to be proof 
against musket balls. At that house I hrst beheld the pleasant light of day, 
was there cradled and rocked. 

The Woods of Middleborough — Fit timber with which to build the insti- 
tutions of any town. 

This was the last toast, and was responded to by Judge Wood ; 
and after instrumental music the crowd, which numbered about 
3000 in and around the tent, dispersed. The speeches were inter- 
spersed with fine music by the various bands present. 

The following letter was received from Thomas D. Robinson, 
Esq., of New York : 

Box 4300, New York City, Oct. 12, 18G9. 

Dear Sir: While duties prevent my joining with you in the festivities 
that worthily do honor to our good old town, so historic and full of memo- 
ries so dear, still I send you the greeting of a loyal son on this festive clay. 
Glorious old Middleborough! with never a hill-top, river or vale, but rings 
out merry chimes for my ear, and land and lake worthy of the highest min- 
strelsy and any song; I confess I love them all with a child's fondness. 
And well may we be proud of her. She boasts justly a good sized farm, 
which she has not only well tilled, but dotted here and there in almost every 
available corner with the academy or school-house, bringing to every door 
rare opportunities of culture, which have been used by her children not 
only to spread their fame, but hers. You are marked more than most for 
thrift, energy and enterprise, and these are all worthy of the highest praise; 
but never in these forget, nor let your children, that culture after religious 
faith is the crowning glory of any land and any people. I add a sentiment. 

Old Middleborough — Her children congratulate her on showing so few 
signs of decay in her old age. They give her their warmest love. May 
she in turn, like the old Roman matron, be ever able to point to her sons 
and daughters as her richest jewels. 

Hastily, but faithfully yours, 

THOMAS D. ROBINSON. 

George Soule, Esq., 

Chairman Executive Committee town of Middleborough, Mass. 



APPENDIX 



APPENDIX. 



EXTRACT FROM THE OLD COLONY RECORDS, UNDER DATE OF 
JUNE 1, 1669, PRENCE GOVERNOR. 

"At this court the court granted that Naraassakett shall be a township, 
and to be called by the name of Middleberry, and bounded with Plymouth 
bounds on the easterly side, and with the bound of Taunton on the westerly 
side, and with the bounds of Bridgewater on the northerly side or end, and 
on the southerly side or end to extend six miles from the wading-plroc, and 
at the end of said six miles to run east to Plymouth line, and from the said 
line west to Taunton line; and in case the west, line runs to the southward 
of Taunton line, then to run until we come up to the southernmost part of 
Taunton bounds, and then square off north to it." 

The wading-place was where the bridge on the Plymouth road now 
crosses the Nemasket river at the " Star Mills." In 1734 a portion of Mid- 
dleborough was set off l^p constitute a part of Halifax, and in 1853 about 
one third of its territory was set off to form the town of Lakeville. For 
many years previous to the last date, it was the largest town in the state, 
containing nearly one hundred square miles. 

RESETTLEMENT OF THE TOWN. 

At a meeting of the inhabitants and proprietors of Middleborough, held 
at Plymouth 27th June, 1677, it was 

Voted, " That we do unanimously agree^by the permission of God and by 
his gracious assistance, to make a beginning again in order unto the repos- 
session of our lands, and reedification of our demolished buildings and 
habitations which some of us were, before the late and sad war, in actual 
improvement and possession of; and to make such orders and conclusions 
as may hopefully have a tendency unto the laying a foundation of a town 
and pious society in that place." 

BEN. SIMONS. 

Ben. Simons lived at Betty's Neck, now in Lakeville, to which place the 
Indians of Middleborough gradually retreated, as they sold their lands and 
became small in number. In the Plymouth Colony Records we find that 



50 



Tispaquin conveyed a neck of laud to Assowetough, alias Betty, in 1673, 
with the consent of all the chief men of Assowamset. This we suppose to 
be Betty's Neck, and hence the name. In the cemetery in the westerly 
part of Lakeville is a small granite obelisk, with the following inscription : 
"In memory of Ben. Simons, the last male of the native Indians of Middle- 
borough. He was a revolutionary soldier. Died May, 1831, aged 80 years." 
This stone was erected by Mr. Levi Reed, of Lakeville. 

THE MORTON HOUSE. 

This we suppose to be the oldest house in the county. According to the 
tradition in the family, John Morton, the son of George, (who came over 
in the Ann in 1623,) early came to Nemasket, and built a house about half a 
mile south of the present house. This was accidentally burnt while the fam- 
ily were at meeting on Sunday. John Morton then, some years before 
Philip's war, built the southeast part of the present house, additions to 
which were made at different times by his descendants. This tradition is 
confirmed by the fact, that Mr. Daniel Aldeu, a man whose veracity and ac- 
curacy of recollection no one can doubt, a descendant of John Aldeu, states 
that he has often heard him say, that the Morton house was built before 
Philip's war, and was saved on account of some friendly acts done by the 
Morton family to the Indians. John Aklen died in the year 1818, in the one 
hundred and third year of his age; consequently his recollection must have 
gone back to a period when the house was comparatively uew. If this tra- 
dition is correct, inasmuch as the town was deserted two or more years, 
and given up to ravage, it brings to view a remarkable instance of that 
Indian trait of character which has been often noticed, viz., a disposition 
to remember and reciprocate acts of kindness long after they were received. 

According to another account, John Morton came to Nemasket not until 
1670, built the first house near the river, and died in 1673. That house was 
burned in Philip's war, with all the others here, and after the war, his son 
John returned and commenced the present Morton house. The site of the 
first house can be readily identified. The Morton house is of rectangular 
shape, about 60 feet in length and 30 wide, two stories, gambrel roof, stand- 
ing upon an open green without trees or shrubbery, end toward the street, 
into which it considerably projects, — or rather the street has encroached 
upon its domains, as the house was here long before the present highway. 
It is now soon to disappear. The present owner, Albert G. Pickens, who 
with his aged mother is the last occupant, has just built a beautiful and 
commodious house on the same estate, a few rods distant, and now vacates 
the old one, which is to be demolished, the highway having been laid out 
directly through it. The house has always remained in the Morton family 
by direct descent. 

The Morton family was one of great influence and social consideration. 
John Morton was the first delegate to represent Middleborough in the gen- 
eral court at Plymouth in 1670. In 1672 he was again chosen. John Mor- 



51 



ton, the second, held very extensive tracts of land in all directions around 
his house, and made large additions to the dwelling-house. Madam Mor- 
ton, who occupied the house about the middle of the last century, was a 
woman distinguished for her piety and social influence. She was a member 
of the First Congregational church, to which she presented a communion 
service of plate, a portion of which is still in the possession of the church. 
She was noted also for her hospitality, her latch-string being always out. 
Clergymen were always especially welcome. On one occasion it is related 
that two clergymen calling about dinner-time, for whom she had not time 
to make special provision, she spread before them what she had, remarking 
by way of apology, "Gentlemen, if you are good Christians you will be 
thankful for this ; if you are not, it is too good for you." 

Mrs. Phebe Oliver, the widow of Andrew Oliver, who was a son of Judge 
Oliver, resided here at the close of the last and the beginning of the pres- 
ent century. She was a woman of great dignity and elegance of manner, 
and of much cultivation, which she had derived from intercourse with the 
best society which the country afibrdod. Judge Oliver had an elegant res- 
idence at Middleborough at the time of the revolution. Being of tory 
proclivities, holding office under the crown, he became a refugee, and his 
estate was confiscated. His son's widow was residing with him at that 
time. She then came with a son and daughter and occupied a portion of 
the Morton house, she having inherited a right in it, being a descendant of 
the Morton family. Her daughter afterwards married the distinguished 
Dr. Waterhouse, of Cambridge. There are many now living who recollect 
with how much pleasure, when children, they used to call on Lady Oliver, 
and hear her recount the incidents of her life. She would tell anecdotes 
of Benjamin Franklin, Gen. Lafayette, the elder and younger Adams, Gov. 
Bowdoin, Hannah Adams; all of which she gathered from personal inter- 
course with those celebrated characters. There is a lady now living who 
remembers seeing the coach and four of Granville Temple, son of Sir John 
Temple, standing at the Morton house, with colored driver and footman. 
He was related by marriage to the Morton family. Mrs. Oliver died at an 
advanced age, in 1831. 

JOHN SASSOMAN, ALIAS SAUSSOMAN. 

John Sassoman owned land in Middleborough at Assowampset Neck. 
Old Tispaquin conveyed twenty-seven acres to him for a home lot, in 1673. 
After Sassoman's death, the court at Plymouth granted all his lands to Felix, 
his son-in-law. This was in 1678-9. 

DEBORAH SAMPSON. 

Deborah Sampson, born in Middleborough, enlisted from that town in 
the revolutionary war, under the assumed name of Robert Shurtleff. After 
the war she returned to Middleborough. She was a revolutionary pen- 
sioner for many years. 



CONTENTS. 



Page 

Introductory, 5 

Officers and Committees, 5 

Procession, 8 

Decorations, H 

Address of Hon. Wm. H. Wood, . 14 

Oration of Hon. Thomas H. Russell, 17 

The Dinner, 31 

Address of Mayor Shurtleff, of Boston, 31 

John Eddy, Esq., 32 

Rev. C. W. Wood, 34 

" Gen. E. W. Peirce, 37 

" Judge Russell, 39 

A. T. Wales, 40 

Zebulon Pratt, 41 

Rev. W. H. Alden 42 

Prof. J. W. P. Jenks, 43 

E. B. Thompson 44 

Letter of Thomas D. Robinson, Esq., 45 



Appendix, 



49 



Boundaries of Middleborough, 49 



Resettlement of the Town, 



49 



Ben. Simons, 49 



The Morton House, 



no 



John Sassoman, 51 

Deborah Sampson, • 51 



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LIBRARY OF CONPPCcc 
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